Shame of Romania's 'barter babies'

In the past year dozens of groups and individuals have flocked to get involved in Romanian adoptions. They range from a non-profit group that charges $500 for administration costs but at times initiates adoptions that involve "gifts" of up to $500 to a birth family, to a consultant service that charges $5,000 U.S. to find a healthy young Romanian child and will pay up to $1,000of that to the birth family as a "gift."

Sources interviewed said the result is that the price sought for a healthy baby in Romania can range from $500 to $20,000 U.S. A Romanian government spokesperson in Ottawa says it is illegal to pay parents to adopt their babies in Romania.

Gabriela Grigoriu from the Metro area says, as a person of Romanian descent, she was moved to help families seeking to help the orphans. Last year she informally helped many people adopt Romanian babies.